Iran labels US forces in Middle East terrorist group after Trump blacklists its Revolutionary Guard

Iran responded to President Trump’s designation of its Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization on Monday by declaring the same for U.S. military forces in the Middle East.

Calling Trump’s decision “illegal and dangerous,” Iran’s Supreme National Security Council announced that it will designate the U.S. Central Command as a terrorist group, according to Iran’s semiofficial Fars News Agency.

{mosads}The council, headed by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, added that Trump’s move poses a “major threat to regional and international peace and security and grossly violates the rules of international law.”

Earlier Monday, the Trump administration announced it will designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an elite military unit, a “foreign terrorist organization” in a move designed to significantly ramp up pressure on Tehran.

It is the first time the United States has applied the designation, which comes with sanctions, to an entire government entity.

While previous administrations have considered the move, they held off amid warnings from the Pentagon and intelligence community that doing so could complicate U.S. military and diplomatic work and put U.S. troops abroad in danger of reciprocation by the IRGC.

Iran’s designation of the U.S. Central Command was expected. Over the weekend, more than 200 Iranian lawmakers warned of the potential for retaliation.

And shortly after Trump officially made the announcement, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif sent a letter to Rouhani requesting the designation, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency.